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I have the honour to speak today on behalf of the Western European and Other States Group, on the occasion of the commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the trans-Atlantic slave trade.
May I thank the President for organising this important event, and express our deep gratitude to the CARICOM Caucus of Permanent Representatives for leading the initiative to have this Assembly adopt a commemorative resolution.
Mr President,
It is now over two-hundred years since United States President Thomas Jefferson signed legislation on 7 March 1807 to abolish the trans-Atlantic slave trade. The British Parliament passed legislation on 25 March 1807 prohibiting the trading of slaves throughout the British Empire. Those landmark actions signalled the beginning of the end of one of the longest and most sustained assaults on the dignity and worth of the human being in recorded history.
We gather today to recall the great human cost of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, which saw more than 12 million people – mostly transported from West Africa to the Americas - suffer the barbaric and inhuman practice of slavery. They also had to endure the infamous Middle Passage, which history tells us claimed the lives of almost 18 per cent of those making the crossing.
Mr President,
As Member States of the United Nations who have solemnly pledged to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights and in the dignity and worth of the human person, we must never forget the tragic reality and consequences of slavery.
We remember the past, even its darkest chapters, to acknowledge the human suffering and experience which is woven into the fabric of today’s world. We also remember the past in order to avoid repeating it.
Sadly, not all the shadows of slavery have been banished. Even today, millions of fellow human beings are subjected to the practices that fall within the United Nations’ definition of enslavement. Sexual and debt enslavement and the forcible involvement of children in armed conflict are among the many examples of practices which hark back to the dark days of centuries past. As Member States of this institution we must be vigilant in opposing all modern day forms of human enslavement.
Today we pause to reflect on the sufferings of those who endured slavery and to honour all who helped to end it. Let us draw from those lessons of the past wisdom to guide our future conduct.
Thank you.
